Ellis, I will follow you into the dark
by zombie4play
Summary: Nick will not leave Ellis behind. In this life or the next.


**This was inspired by a fic that I read. I hope you like it. It is one of my side stories that I just write for the hell of it.**

**Please review. I need FEEDBACK! Or this goes bye-bye. :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!But my own ideas. The song belongs to its artist and the characters belong to valve. The song is follow you into the dark by deathcab for cutie.**

**Ellis, I will follow you into the dark**

_Love of mine, someday you will die..._

_And I'll be close behind..._

_I'll follow you into the dark..._

"Nick...am I goin' ta die...?"

"..."

"N-Nick...please...answer..." Ellis lay on the destroyed bridge with Nick kneeling over him. Nick didn't want to answer, he couldn't, it hurt too much.

"..El..."

"Nick, ya'll are scaring me..." Ellis looked up at the conman and to his surprise and shock to see that Nick, the sarcastic, pessimist dick head, was crying...for him. This scared the southerner. If Nick was crying then that was that, he was going to die.

"Yes El...you are...and I'm so sorry." It was all his fault. If Nick had been paying any attention when they all made their last sprint to freedom he probably would have seen the jockey about to jump him, but he hadn't. And now he was paying the ultimate price.

"Why? Why did you come back? You should have left me for dead you stupid hick." Ellis knew the insult was because the conman was hurt. And not knowing how to deal with the unfamiliar emotions that swelled up inside of him, he did the only thing he could do, he lashed out in sadness, but not in anger.

"I couldn't leave ya for dead Nick. I love ya." He tried to give an encouraging smile, but failed miserably. The pain of looking into the conman's eyes was too much. He saw so much in those emerald irises. He saw the raw emotions of fear, anger, sadness, bitterness and something that Ellis had always seen in that ever lasting stare. He saw his future, his hope and his life with the compassionate conman. Those eyes promised forever, but as Ellis lay on the cold concrete bridge with him pooling in his own blood did he realize that there would be no future with him. There would be no future period. At least not for the southerner that is.

"Nick...I-I'm not going to make it much longer. And you know it..." The gambler looked down at the southerner in complete shock and horror. Why did he have to save him? Nick wanted Ellis to live, after all, Ellis had so much life let to live. He was just a kid for Christ's sake! He was only 23. He had never done anything bad in his short little existence to deserve anything like this.

Nick didn't respond in words. Instead he just picked the mechanic up into his arms from where he knelt and hugged his closely. He knew he was crying. He had been shaking profoundly, unable to stop.

"I'm so sorry El-"

"Don't b-be Nick. I never would have d-done it if I-I hadn't' known what the out come w-would be..." Nick stopped shacking only to shut his eyes and shake his head. Ellis knew the consequences for coming back for him? Then why? WHY? Nick was beginning to see red. He blamed it on everything, that jockey that led him into the horde with the awaiting Tank, he blamed it on Coach and Rochelle who didn't even look back as they flew away without them, and most of all, he blamed it on himself. If he had only been paying attention.

"I'm so scared Nick." Ellis' voice quickly led Nick out of the darkness of his thoughts and back into the horribly brutal real world. Ellis was scared? Nick mentally slapped himself for being so naive. Of course the boy was scared. Who wouldn't be? He loosened his grip on the mechanic to be able to look at his face. There were tears, wet and hot streaming down his face.

Nick brought a calloused hand up to whip away the tears when he was caught off guard by the sudden explosion of a bomb on the bridge. The kid coward into his bloodied jacket at the sound. Nick held him firmly to his chest, being weary of the wounds that were everywhere on his poor lover's body.

"We need to get out of here." Nick moved to stand when Ellis, with surprisingly strong arms led him back to a kneeling position.

"No Nick. You need to get out of here. Not me, it's too late for me..."

"No." He refused to believe it. "Ellis please. Don't say that."

"You have got to leave me here and get away, far far away."

The kid was giving up. On him. On life. On everything, and he just couldn't take it. He just shut down, he didn't know what else to do. What happens when your only beacon of light suddenly gets snuffed out?

"Ellis. Please stay with me buddy."_ Please. _Nick contemplated praying to the god he never believed in. And so he did.

He held Ellis close and closing his eyes, he prayed. But either no god would listen to a sinful soul such as himself or he just didn't care for the fate of one survivor, either way the praying didn't help. And Nick was forced to hold the kid in his arms as he breathed his last.

Nick didn't know how long he had stayed in that hunched over position cursing the god that took his one true love out of this world, but when he finally re opened his eyes, he had come to a decision.

_No blinding lights or tunnels to gates of white_

_Just our hands clasp so tight waiting for a hint of a spark_

Nick entwined his hands through Ellis'. _I'll see you soon El. I'm coming._

Nick knew he wasn't going to let Ellis die alone in a zombified world. He just wouldn't let it happen. And so, holding his love close he watched as the bombs being dropped onto the bridge engulfed them into utter darkness.

"I'm sorry El. Just so sorry."

_If no ones there beside you when your soul embarks_

_Then I will follow you into the dark..._


End file.
